Five years after
Mission: Impossible III and fifteen after the original, came Mission:
Impossible – Ghost Protocol. The fourth film in the franchise is the best and
not many franchises can say that. The movie is a thrilling and awe-inspiring
ride, making it one of the better action films of the last five years.
After a spectacular
first entry and a less than stellar sequel, the third entry in the Mission:
Impossible franchise got the action-spy series back on track with an adrenaline
boost from J.J. Abrams. Mission: Impossible III is a thrilling, high stakes film
and the most action focused installment.
Mission: Impossible
II is the second movie in the
Mission: Impossible franchise. The action is certainly stepped up from the
first; resulting in over the top set pieces as only John Woo could produce. Mission:
Impossible II is still a fun action film but a rather weak entry in the series.
Based on the old
television show of the same name, Mission: Impossible started what would become
a franchise that has now spanned almost twenty years, as well as launching Tom
Cruise’s action star career. After all this time, Mission: Impossible stills holds
up as a fun, action-spy film.
The continuation of
the Vacation film series, aptly titled Vacation, might’ve worked if it was
titled anything else but Vacation. The fifth film in the franchise feels
nothing like the previous four and thus suffers because of its title. When
trying to continue a series, a film should feel somewhat like it’s predecessors
right? But alas Vacation is just a typical R-rated raunchy comedy and fails to
recapture the wittiness of the original Vacation.
With the upcoming
release of Vacation, a semi-reboot/continuation of the franchise, there had to
be a look back at the original from 1983, the tale of Clark Griswold and his
family’s travels across the country in National Lampoon’s Vacation.
Judd Apatow has
provided with great comedies such as The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up.
After a couple of not nearly as funny turns in the director’s chair, he
delivers a hilarious outing once again with Trainwreck.
Ant-Man is the
twelfth entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and probably takes the biggest
risk out of them all, making a good film about a man who can shrink. Yet Marvel
has done it again and produced another hit to add to their streak of successes.
It Follows is a horror film that provides just the right amount of tension without relying on the overused jump scare or even worse the false jump scare. Everything inside this small yet terrifying movie does exactly what it needs to do and creates a unique idea and environment for a horror film.
Inside Out is hands down the best film I've seen all year and the best Pixar film since 2010's Toy Story 3. It's a return to Pixar form and fun for all involved, providing the emotional depth and meaning everyone has come to expect from the animation studio.